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June 30, 2014

If you like the quality of Hot Toys but are put off by assembling toys and unpacking various parts, you can always opt for a one piece maquette. Sideshow Collectibles offers a variety of sculpted statues that are ready for display within seconds after removing them from the box. That includes this gorgeous Elvira cold cast porcelain maquette. It's a limited edition offering made by Tweeterhead and sold by Sideshow. There are less than 30 pieces remaining, and it's easy to see why. This Mistress of the Dark sculpture captures the likeness of the character and includes plenty of details to drool over. See?

It was packaged snugly in styrofoam and simple to remove from the box. There were just two pieces: Elvira and a base sculpted and painted to resemble stone. The statue fit into the base securely and easily (my favorite!). Every aspect of the statue is sculpted from the hair to Elvira's jewelry. Her dagger and ring feature sparkling Swarovski Elements crystals that contrast nicely against the black of her dress. She's holding a whip and looking mischievous.

The fabric of her gown is sculpted and painted to look realistic. I especially like the tattered and lacy look of the sleeves and bottom of the dress. The bright and rich red lipstick is just the right shade and so is the color of the blush - and those cheekbones, wow. While I like the eyeliner application, something about the eyelid details doesn't look quite right to me. That said, most people aren't going to be looking at the statue's face from a couple of inches away and it doesn't interfere with the expressiveness of the eyes. This looks an incredible amount like Cassandra Peterson.

It can't be denied that Cassandra Peterson and her character Elvira have a distinctive silhouette, and this statue possesses her grace and allure while also presenting a touch of intimidation and sass.

Overall, it's a high quality and intricate maquette with a lot of personality. If you're a big Elvira fan, go ahead and put it on your wishlist or buy it immediately. The 1/6th scale figure is 14.5 inches tall; Elvira was sculpted by Trevor Grove. You can order Elvira - Mistress of the Dark from Sideshow Collectibles for $274.99 (there are also payment plans).

June 26, 2014

Last month Karen Hallion made Star Wars and Disney parks fans shriek with glee when she put Princess Leia into a portrait from the Haunted Mansion. Leia became the girl on the tightrope, and she's not done making appearances in the spooky attraction. Hallion appears to be taking on the challenge of incorporating Leia inall four of the portraits and this beauty is the latest addition to the series:

Titled, "... to find a way out" the piece mimics the art of the woman sitting on her husband's tombstone:

She's getting there:

You can buy a print of the latest Leia in the Haunted Mansion piece over at Society6 - Hallion is working on turning it into a t-shirt design.

I can watch many movies over and over again, and The Princess Bride is one of the discs that often finds its way into my DVD player. It's special because even after twenty years, it still commands my attention. Like the Star Wars saga and a handful of other movies, The Princess Bride can never just be on in the background. I have to watch it, and it still makes me laugh and feel warm and fuzzy. Any time I see the film it feels like hugging an old friend.

Given those feelings, you can imagine how delighted I was to learn that Cary Elwes has written a book about the making of the film: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. He shared the information at Comicpalooza with fans that came in to talk to him. He had the Amazon page pulled up on his phone and seemed excited to show off the cover and mention that it was available for pre-order. When I found out, I think my smile nearly split my face... but that also could have been because I was speaking with Westley.

Elwes worked with Joe Layden on the project and was apparently inspired to record his memories and experiences because of the 25th anniversary cast reunion. The book will contain "never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories" and more - including a foreword by director Rob Reiner. To be honest, I'd be picking it up even if Elwes talked about nothing more than the challenges of wearing a mask in the film, but it seems as though there will be plenty of material to enjoy in the almost 300 pages. I'm looking forward to reading it!

June 24, 2014

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is coming to theaters this August, and the trailers for the film are fun. Plain and simple. Who knows if that humor will translate to the film about the outlaws turned heroes, but we can hope! YouTuber The Unusual Suspect has taken the structure and music from one of the latest Guardians trailers and added clips from Star Wars, Episodes IV-VI. Even if you're utterly bored with mash-ups, take a second to check this one out - the edit is that good.

In case you haven't seen the original Guardians of the Galaxy trailer:

June 23, 2014

Purses don't do it for me unless they're covered in geeky prints. Then I must have them all. Red Shirt Creations Etsy shop features several pouches, handbags, and wristlets that are a danger to my wallet. The cute designs feature images from Spirited Away, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Firefly, Breaking Bad, and many more. All items are handmade by the shop's owner Natasha.

The wristlets are my favorite style of bags in the shop because they're just the right size for an evening out. I always take wristlets to conventions because after lugging a giant messenger bag around all day, I like having something small and light for night time functions.

If you like wristlets too - or know someone who does - you're in luck because Red Shirt Creations has offered up one of her wristlets for me to give away. Which one? You can pick the design from anything in stock in the Etsy store. Here are some examples:

The wristlets are valued at $14.95 each.

You can enter by using Rafflecopter. The only mandatory response is to comment and tell me which wristlet you'd choose if you won (I won't make you stick to your response if you win the giveaway). You can use Rafflecopter to make that comment or just jump below and enter it directly. Then you can hit Rafflecopter to gain multiple entries for following Red Shirt Creations and me on various social media platforms. I promise I'll count responses from everywhere!

June 20, 2014

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has translated books, comics, and more to complex and lovely perfume oils, and they've recently added Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive to their resume. The new scents are based on the film about two vampire lovers played by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. It's romantic, melancholy but humorous, and an altogether intriguing film, and the scents are designed to evoke all the feelings you experience as you watch the movie.

A sampling of the scents in the series are as follows:

++ CHARACTER SCENTS

EVEEve is eternal: in three-thousand years, she has likely traveled the length and breadth of the world, immersed in innumerable cultures throughout the ages, observing the ebb and flow of humanity and the imperishability of nature itself. Despite her age, she is the character that seems most rooted, always experiencing each moment with open eyes, always fully present. Her scent is one that travels through the eons: the Irish moss, yarrow, and hawthorn of the Iron Age Britons, ancient Rome's omphacium and honey, myrrh and calamus from Egypt, the frankincense and damask roses of the Florentine Renaissance, white sandalwood from the Far East, Moroccan saffron and rose water, and a swirl of incense from the souks.

ADAMAdam, our suicidally romantic scoundrel. His scent is a palette of somber colors, melancholy memories, and lupine, savage beauty: black leather, pale sandalwood, ambergris accord, and the memory of a long-lost Victorian fougère.His internal life seems to be reflected in his lair, so his perfume also possesses the scent of the wood of his guitars, the rosin from his violin bow, the musty wool of neglected Oriental carpets, the plastic, metal, and magnetic tape of his reel-to-reel, the dust that permeates everything.

KITImmersed in his (eternal) life's work, holding on to his memories, suffused with a love of life and literature, Kit's scent is soft and dry as bone: Mysore sandalwood, a tattered and patched 16th century waistcoat, inkstained, still scented with the marjoram and benzoin dry perfumes of his youth.

AVAIt's always a bit weird with family.A scant two-hundred years old, there doesn't seem to be anything that roots Ava to her past. Her scent is utterly contemporary, and, like her personality, it is impulsive, capricious, and dangerous. Voluptuous and brittle, lovely and toxic: sheer vanilla musk with tuberose, red mandarin, and the sweet poison of white almond.

THE EDGE OF DOOMLove alters not with his brief hours and weeks,But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

The night flight from Tangier: drops of spilled blood color the antiseptic, bland, plastic paleness of the fuselage, with violet leaf for longing, rosemary for reminiscences, and black opoponax for apprehension.

THE HOURGLASS"I feel like all the sands are at the bottom of the hourglass.""Turn it over, then."

QUINTESSENCE OF DUST"What a piece of work is a man!""What is this quintessence of dust?"

The passing: beeswax and smoke, yellowed paper and well-worn leather books, droplets of spilled ink, faded incense, blood-tinged salty tears, and the metal of the knife that skewers that illiterate zombie philistine's portrait.

SHELLEY, BYRON, AND KEATSUncompromising idealism, haunted romanticism, fatal ennui, and a heady amount of scandal and vice: red roses and pale carnation with a draught of laudanum, smears of opium tar, a hint of absinthe, and mercury ointment.

SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE"When you separate an entwined particle and you move both parts away from the other, even at opposite ends of the universe, if you alter or affect one, the other will be identically altered or affected. Spooky."

THERE'S WATER HEREThis place will rise again. The wisdom of eternity imparting a glimmer of hope through the grace of eternal renewal: the wild glory of nature bursting through cement, metal, and urban despair, purified by the waters of Lake St. Clair.

June 19, 2014

Friends have been urging me to watch Bee and PuppyCat for a few months. They promised me it was cute - usually an instant sell for me - but they mentioned the word series, and I didn't want to commit to hours in front of my computer staring at YouTube. But then, someone pointed out to me there were only two episodes and I only needed to invest mere minutes to watch both of them. Oops. I watched Bee and PuppyCat the next day, and of course, I wanted MORE because it is freaking adorable and also freaking hilarious.

What is Bee and PuppyCat? It's a series by Natasha Allegri that's part of Cartoon Hangover. The story stars Bee, a twenty-something unemployed lady, and her new pal PuppyCat. As you might guess from the name, the squishable creature is both cat and dog. He's also in touch with an intergalactic temp agency of sorts, and he lands assignments for him and Bee so they can make some dough. The character designs are wonderful, the writing makes me laugh out loud, and the way Allyn Rachel delivers Bee's lines only makes the series more awesome.

Take five minutes to watch the first episode, you won't regret it.

While you're at it, you may as well watch the second episode.

Hungry for more? Join the crowd! More episodes are coming since Cartoon Hangover ran a successful Kickstarter project to fund them. As far as I can tell, they'll be out this fall. In the meantime, you can get your Bee and PuppyCat fix in a couple of different ways.

Read the comic from Boom Studios! There are two issues of the ongoing series out so far, and it continues the adventures of Bee and PuppyCat. It's beautifully illustrated and colored, and you can read the story in the character's voices - out loud or in your head.

Cover yourself in Bee and PuppyCat apparel from WeLoveFine! You can cosplay as Bee thanks to their Bee sweater and PuppyCat dress design, or you can carry a PuppyCat tote bag or hug the stuffing out of a soft talking PuppyCat plush. If none of that sounds appealing, you can choose from one of many cool t-shirt designs featuring characters and quotes from the series.

Keeping Frozen merchandise on shelves has been a challenge for Disney. They instituted customer limits a while ago, but kids and adults keep wiping stores out of plush Olafs and Elsa and Anna dolls and dresses. Officially licensed items have started to appear in other places though - like Hot Topic. They have stickers, posters, socks, and a handful of t-shirts in their Frozen collection. These are my top picks:

It's a little hard to read, but the text on this says: "Only an act of true love will thaw a freezing heart." The design features Elsa's crown and profile, too.

There are of course t-shirts featuring the sisters:

Finally, some cute no show socks:

And crazy random happenstance, looks like the entire Hot Topic site is 20% off right now. Sorry/not sorry for being an enabler.

June 18, 2014

In case you've been looking for him,
the Dark Knight isn't in Gotham City right now. He's in my house.
Sideshow Collectibles saw the Bat-Signal and shipped Hot Toy'squarter scale Batman figure to me. He's living the good life now
because all he has to do is look amazing. There aren't any bad guys
to fight here. As per usual with Hot Toys, the quality is over the
top from the carefully sculpted cowls to the surprisingly soft cape
to sharp batarangs.

Packaging: Batman was packaged with the
utmost of care - every small accessory had its place. The figure,
cowls, hands, and utility belt were nestled in soft foam. Underneath
the foam section I found the figure's base, sculpts representing a
few of Batman's rogues gallery, and plenty of weapons to make sure
Batman can take care of any villains he encounters.

One of my favorite things about Hot
Toys' packaging that was especially on display here was that every
nook and cranny was made for a specific piece. It makes it much
simpler to put everything back where it belongs - like the opposite
of trying to refold a map. I like knowing I have a proper place to store all the pieces when they're not in use.

Sculpt/likeness/paint: This figure
couldn't be more Batman if it tried. The head sculpt looks a
startling amount like Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne. There are
wrinkles, and the skin texture is realistic. The cowls are equally
impressive. One aspect that blew me away and fascinated me is that
you can adjust the eye movement by moving rods inside the mask! And
this a weird thing to focus on, but the eye lids were perfectly done.

The white rods control the eyes

The chin portions of the cowls are
interchangeable. All you have to do is use a tool that comes with the
figure to pop the chins out - it's simple and fun to give Batman
different expressions. The lips and teeth are spot on.

Changing out the chins

And the various cowls attach to a base
with magnets. It makes it incredibly easy to change them up, and I like that method better than popping the head on and off.

Clothes/suit: The Hot Toys Batman has
the softest cape in the world. I'd like to enlarge and borrow it. It
snaps into place on Batman's shoulders with ease, as does the plastic
flight pack. The suit is sturdy (fabric covered in armor) but also pliable and moves easily
when you pose the figure. The different textures match what you see
on screen, and they catch the light differently to make Batman extra
pretty.

The utility belt fits snugly around
Batman's waist. It has a little stretch to it, but it doesn't slip once
you snap it into place.

Accessories: As I've mentioned before,
the accessories are always my favorite part of a Hot Toysto dive into and the ones
that came with Batman didn't disappoint. They include several pairs
of gloved hands, a grapnel gun with bullets, a sticky bomb with
several moving parts, a light-up EMP rifle, an itty bitty mine, three
batarangs, a nicely painted figure stand that mimics a scene from the
film, an ultrasonic cutter, a radiation detector, and the masks of
Bane, Joker, and the Scarecrow. WHEW. Going through all the extras
was like opening boxes within boxes and continuing to find surprises.
Everything that went with the utility belt clipped on with ease.
Anything that had moving parts - like the sticky bomb - moved
fluidly.

The technical details: Height - 18.5
inches, head sculpted by Kojun and Kim Yong Kyum, head painted by
JC.HONG, and head art directed by Kojun. The body has over 32 points
of articulation.

If you're a Bat-fan, this collectible is sure to please you. You can order Batman Quarter Scale Figure by Hot Toys from Sideshow Collectibles for $464.99.

“You spent too much time with us, Jon Snow. You can never be a kneeler again.” - Tormund Giantsbane

"There’s no safety, you dumb bitch. If you don’t know that by now, you’re the wrong one to watch over her.” - the Hound

“Your legacy is a lie.” - Cersei LannisterRandom thoughts:
- The scene between Mance Rayder and Jon Snow makes me wish we'd seen more of Mance this season. He might not have been what I pictured for the character at first, but Ciarán Hinds is fantastic in the role (sort of related: I just learned he was in Frozen - he's the troll who heals Anna, the one Kristoff calls grandpa). I liked seeing him face Stannis down, and I'm hoping those two characters will have scenes together in the future. That's probably the first time I've wanted to see more of Stannis.

- Bran's journey has bored me in the books and the series, and the walking skeletons didn't do much to change that. I don't actively dislike the storyline like I do with Ramsay/Theon, but I could live without it.

- Where's Rickon?

- What is Dany going to do about her dragons? Their cries when she locked them away... that and the burnt bones of the child was heartbreaking and had me crying almost as much as I did over Oberyn Martell.

- Brienne kicks ass. She fought hard against the Hound and seemed like an even match for him. That was one of my favorite fights of the season, and I'm glad they added it (it wasn't in the books). Oh, and I wanted more of Arya and Brienne chatting.
- Arya took an even darker turn. She sort of blamed Brienne for not protecting her mother and left the Hound to die. While I appreciate the character development and that she's become a fiercely independent force to be reckoned with, it confuses me how so many people say they love her. You do realize she's become a killer, right? And it's probably not long before she starts veering from her personal code? Like I said, it's a fascinating path but also very dark and it's intriguing to see people root for and support that.

Regardless of what she did and where she's going, it was nice to see her appear happy for once.

- Tyrion, wow. He followed his emotions to a satisfying end and is headed out of the city. What will he be like without the chains of his family - particularly his father - to weigh him down?

He's changed too, though. Tyrion pre-Joffrey's death wouldn't have killed Shae and would have found it appalling. That's the man he never wanted to become. Did she deserve it? Maybe. And goodness knows I cheered when Tywin bit it. But, I can recognize that Tyrion is no longer the heroic figure he once was. What heroes do we have left in this series? Brienne. Maaaybe Dany.

- The hug between Tyrion and Jaime slayed me. I don't recall seeing them show physical affection for each other before, and it was moving. I was proud of Jaime especially considering what just happened with Cersei.

- I felt pity for Varys for the first time. The look on his face when he realized he had to leave King's Landing was a knife to the heart.
- I don't want to spoil anything for non-book readers so I'll just say there was a thing I was looking forward to and expecting to see and it didn't happen. I'm hoping it's just delayed until season five, but I'm worried it will be cut altogether.

June 15, 2014

The season four finale of Game of Thrones is mere hours away. I'm excited but also sad because of the long wait until season five. I know, I should live in the moment. To help brighten my mood, I made a Game of Thrones bingo card for the occasion. Click to enlarge the below image, print, and play along while you watch the season finale! I'll be tuning in with my dragons and my White Walker plush.

Any time a phrase is in quotes, a character has to say it to count. The Targaryen house sigil in the middle is a free space.

June 13, 2014

In the Game of Thrones, you craft or you die. Actually, that is sort of true since all the characters craft plots to win the Iron Throne... too much of a stretch? Bad jokes aside, the season four finale of Game of Thrones is two days away (sniffle), and I wanted something to get me through the long winter until season five. The only answer was to craft a White Walker plush and finger puppet.

Why a White Walker? Because it seemed like the easiest choice of all the characters, and we haven't seen enough of the spooky beings in the series. Follow along with my instructions to make your own cute-ugly plush - no sewing machine required! As always, click the pictures to embiggen.

Almost the same, right?

First, read through the entire tutorial and then gather supplies.

Supplies

- Patterns (below)

- Cardstock for the patterns

- A fine tip marker like Micron or Sharpie

- Scissors

- Needle (plural if you're me and lose them and the sewing kind, not the Arya Stark sword kind)

- Aqua blue crystal rondelle beads that are 7mm or bigger, I used Darice brand similar to these

White Walker Plush instructions

- Print your patterns, cut them out, transfer them to cardstock or Bristol board, and cut those out.

Body pattern:

As you'll notice, one of the arms is a little lopsided. I didn't see this until after I started putting together my plush. It's easy to fix though! After you print the pattern, simply fold the body in half and trace whichever arm shape you want (the skinny or fat one) on the other side to make them symmetrical. Then you can transfer it to cardstock.

Hair, wrist gauntlets, and skirt:

- Once your pattern pieces are all transferred to cardstock, trace them onto the shiny side of the felt sheets with your fine tip marker - the sides that will be face down. You'll need the following: 2 bodies traced onto white felt, 1 hair on the gray felt, 2 skirts on the tan felt, and 4 wrist gauntlets on the tan felt. You'll cut out the eyebrows, mouth, and eyes later.

At this point, you could go ahead and sew the body together and then dress him, but I like to add clothes and hair before I do that.

- Time to dress your White Walker! Place your body pieces right side up (without the marker lines) before you proceed.

Start with the wrist gauntlets on the fronts and backs of each arm. I place mine near the ends of the arm, but you can put them wherever you'd like. Pin them into place with the shiny side of the felt that might have your marker lines face down. Use your tan embroidery floss or thread and attach the wrist gauntlets with a running stitch (video tutorial for a running stitch). It does not have to be pretty or perfect.

Next, move on to his armor skirt. I placed mine so it would barely cover up the tops of his legs. Pin the skirt (again, marker lines side down) into place so it's roughly in the same place on the front and back of the body. The side curving slightly inward is the top of the skirt on each side. When you're happy with how they're sitting, sew them into place with a running stitch along the top of of the skirt only. You want the sides and bottom to hang free like a loin cloth.

Finally, your White Walker needs hair! You'll be attaching it to the back of your plush only. Attach the hair piece marker lines side down and pin it into place almost .5" from the top of the head. Sew it on with a running stitch along the top only with gray embroidery floss or thread.

- Now that your Walker has clothes, turn both pieces of the body over and add dots of fabric glue to any knots you tied when sewing. I'm terrible at starting/finishing thread securely, so it makes me feel better. Let the glue dry completely.

- Now for my least favorite part: sewing the body together. Put your body pieces together with the finished sides facing each other (you could also leave them right side out if you wish, the stitches will just show a little more). Pin the two pieces together and tuck the hair and skirt pieces into the middle so you don't accidentally sew them down. Start on one side of the head and stitch the front and back together with a running stitch with white thread or embroidery floss. Work your way around almost the entire body but leave a gap big enough to add stuffing.

Note: there could be and probably is a better way to stitch the pieces together, but this is the method I know.

- Turn your sewn together White Walker right side out slowly and carefully. Add stuffing a little at a time and start with the arms and legs. Gently push the stuffing into place with a chopstick or skewer.

- When he's good and stuffed, finish sewing him up. Then cut the back of his hair with a zigzag pattern or straggly chunks and cut some fringes into his skirt armor. Your White Walker should look something like this:

- Your new friend needs a face. I was just going to use aqua beads for his eyes, but they didn't look right so I decided to add them to a circle of black fabric. I couldn't find my black felt (doh) so I used a scrap of black pleather. You can use whatever you'd like. I used a plastic jewel to trace circles onto the black fabric and cut them out. Then I sewed the crystal beads onto the front of the black circles with gray thread and glued my knots on the back of the eyes.

- I also decided the Walker needed angry eyebrows and a mouth to look appropriately intimidating. Cut two 1 inch long by almost .25 inches wide pieces of gray felt for the eyebrows. Cut the same size piece of black felt for the mouth. Place the pieces and eyes on the Walker's face and move them around until they look right to you. I like having the mouth at a slight angle.

When the face elements are in the proper place, lift them up carefully and make a mark with your fine tip marker. Do this for each piece.

Put fabric glue on the back of the pieces one at a time and press them into place. When you've added everything, put the Walker in a safe place and let him dry overnight. Do not fuss with him until his face is dry.

- Behold, scary White Walker of the North! He's here to take your babies and do goodness knows what with them... or to sit on your dress and look cute-ugly and creepy.

Good luck making your armies of White Walkers! Just remember to keep them in the North and away from the citizens of Westeros.